


We're Not Kings of Anything

by snaeken



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Prom, Thiam Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 10:51:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13145121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snaeken/pseuds/snaeken
Summary: Written for the Thiam Secret Santa on Tumblr for blockrose.After Brett turns down his prom invite, Liam convinces Theo to go with him instead to make Brett jealous. The evening turns out a bit differently than either of them expected.





	We're Not Kings of Anything

**Author's Note:**

> So anyone who knows me knows that I've been stressing over this thing, but it's finally finished!!! Thanks to the group chat for your moral support, and to extrasteps for reading over it and suggesting improvements.  
> I hope you enjoy it, blockrose, and Merry Christmas everyone!!!

“It won’t work, you know,” Theo says flippantly. He’s reading a comic book on Liam’s bed, lying on his back with his head dangling over the edge. It's pretty impractical when he needs to turn the page, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him.

Liam tenses momentarily before resuming what he was doing. He’s not going to dignify Theo with a response. He’s in the en-suite bathroom, trying to simultaneously do his tie and comb his hair into submission. He’s not having much success with either.

He’s going to ignore Theo. He’s going to ignore Theo. He’s-

“Why not?” Liam throws the comb and the tie on the floor, groaning in frustration.

Theo turns the page in his comic. “You think wearing some nice clothes for once and dancing with me is going to make Brett want to date you? Not likely.” Liam can practically hear Theo rolling his eyes. “If anything, he’ll want to date _me_ ,” Theo smirks.

Liam asked Brett to go to prom with him, but he said no. The only issue was that Liam had already bought two tickets, so he pestered Theo to go with him instead. He made Liam work for it, but after some faux protestation he agreed; after all, Theo  _ _is__  partial to a bit of anarchy, even if Liam’s attempts at it aren’t quite as grandiose as what Theo’s used to.

“Speaking of which,” Liam says, yanking the comic book out of Theo’s grip and ignoring his protests, “why the hell aren’t you dressed yet? Mason and Corey will be here any minute.”

“Because, unlike some people,” Theo smirks, “making this face look good doesn’t require effort.”

Then the doorbell rings, so Liam picks his tie back off the floor and goes to answer it. “Get dressed, asshole,” he calls over his shoulder.

 

When Liam gets downstairs, Mason and Corey are already inside. His mum answered the door and she’s currently fussing over how handsome they both look in their tuxedos. Then she sees Liam and turns all her affections on him.

“Look at my handsome boy, looking so grown up and smart,” she positively beams as she fixes his tie in that magical, effortless way only mothers can. Liam’s not even embarrassed, his friends all love it when his mum fusses over them too.

“Now where did I put that camera?” she mutters to herself, breezing out of the room to go and find it.

 

Then Mason wolf-whistles -ironically enough- and Corey and Liam turn their attention to Theo, who’s standing at the top of the stairs in his tuxedo. Liam’s heartbeat spikes at the sight of Theo, and Corey furrows his brow and glances at Liam as he fights to get it back under control. Liam brushes it off as a completely normal reaction; it’s no secret that Theo’s aesthetically pleasing, and it’s not like any of them have seen him in formalwear before.

“So, how do I look?” Theo smirks with his arms outstretched, putting himself on display for the other boys. If he noticed Liam’s brief internal battle, he’s not showing any signs of it. Corey and Mason both compliment Theo as he’s descending the stairs. He stops in front of Liam, an eyebrow raised in expectation of an answer.

“You look. You look good.”

“Yeah?” Theo asks.

“Yeah.”

Liam’s mum reappears with the camera, and as they all get into position for their photos to be taken, Liam could swear that for a second he saw Theo’s lips upturned in the barest hint of a genuine smile.

 

After finally escaping from Liam’s mum and her camera, Mason and Corey get into Mason’s car, then Theo and Liam get into Theo’s truck. They drive to one of the local diners which Scott assured them gives a special discount on prom night. They all take about twice as long to eat their food as they usually would, all of them paranoid about spilling anything on themselves. They should probably have just eaten before they got changed, really.

 

Once they arrive at the venue, Mason and Corey immediately head inside. However, Liam stops dead outside the door and Theo almost walks right into him.

“Liam?”

“This was a really stupid idea, I can’t go in there,” Liam says, the scent of anxiety increasing with every passing second.

“Oh no. No no no. You are  _not_  backing out now.” Theo plants his hands on Liam’s shoulders and tries to physically shove him through the doors.

“Wait!” Liam swerves out of Theo’s grip. “What if Brett turned me down because he’s here with someone else? Or what if it’s just __me__  he didn’t want to come with? What if he works out I asked you to come to make him jealous?” Then he groans and puts his head in his hands. “Oh god, what if he literally doesn’t care at all and I’m just a fucking idiot?”

“Simple,” Theo says, holding out a hand for Liam to take. “You have a good time anyway. And I’m here to push you whenever you need, Li.”

“Uh, thanks.” Liam takes Theo’s hand, and they go inside.

 

The loud pop music assaults their ears as they enter, both of them grimacing slightly as they try to adjust to the volume. There are pupils from Beacon Hills High and Devenford Prep everywhere, mingling and chatting away, the girls in their maxi dresses and the boys in their suits.

The joint prom committee chose ‘Time of Our Lives’ as the theme, which is actually pretty fucking inappropriate when you consider all the constant incitement of panic, almost-daily supernatural shenanigans and actual, literal murder that takes place in Beacon Hills on a regular basis.

Liam almost immediately spots Brett, not that it’s difficult considering how tall he is. He’s hanging around with the Devenford Prep lacrosse team and their dates, all of them laughing away at something. Brett, however, doesn’t seem to be with anyone. He seems to sense he’s being watched and looks over at Liam. The two of them exchange stares for a few seconds, Brett’s lip curling into a slight sneer when he realises Liam and Theo are holding hands. Theo just smirks and waves at him.

“Let’s go say hi,” Theo says, pulling Liam forwards a few steps.

“What? No!” Liam hisses, trying to dig his heels into the floor. “Stop it, let’s just find Mason and Corey.”

“If that’s what you want,” Theo shrugs, moving so they’re walking away from Brett.

 

Theo spots Mason and Corey first, and he drags Liam over to the table they’re sitting at. Liam’s definitely not sulking over the prospect of Brett having turned him down despite not having a date. Mason and Corey exchange a look and Theo just sighs, pulling a hip flask out of his inside pocket and taking a swig of it.

“Is that alcohol?” Liam asks.

“Obviously,” Theo rolls his eyes, offering the flask to Corey. He declines, so Theo puts it back in his pocket without offering Liam any.

“But we can’t even get drunk, what’s the point?”

“Liam, I’m human and even I know you can get drunk,” Mason says.

“What? How?”

“With wolfsbane,” Corey adds.

“Wolfsbane? As in the stuff that  _literally poisons us_?” Liam asks incredulously.

“I know what I’m doing. Besides,” Theo mutters, his good mood clearly gone, “a bit of wolfsbane poisoning would totally be worth it if it makes your sulking a little bit more bearable.”

 

Mason and Corey get up to go and dance with each other, leaving Liam and Theo at the table. Liam keeps watching Brett, averting his eyes whenever he looks back at him. Theo just sighs, occasionally taking drinks from his flask when he’s sure no teachers are watching him. It seems like they’re the only two not enjoying themselves.

“Just go and talk to him,” Theo drawls, his eyes nearly rolling out of his head when Liam keeps watching Brett. “I didn’t get dressed up in this ridiculous tuxedo and subject myself to being surrounded by people I hate, just so that you can mope around like a giant, whiny pissbaby.”

“Then why the hell did you agree to this in the first place?” Liam scowls through clenched teeth. The vein appears in his forehead, a tell tale sign that he’s getting angry.

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter. Just sit here and mope.” Theo takes out his flask again, but Liam grabs hold of it.

“No, tell me.”

Theo lunges for the flask, but Liam pulls it out of his reach. Theo snarls as he stands up to his full height to glare down at Liam.

“Because of _you_ , Liam! I wanted to come with _you_!” Theo yells. They both freeze, staring wide eyed at each other. “Fuck,” Theo mutters, shaking his head. “Fuck fuck fuck.” Theo pulls out of Liam’s grip and walks away, disappearing into the crowd.

“Theo, wait!” Liam calls, following after him. Liam tries to track his scent but there’s too much going on around them, too many people with different colognes and perfumes. It’s no use; Theo’s gone.

 

It’s been over half an hour now, and Liam doesn’t know where Theo is. He had asked Corey and Mason if they had seen him, but he left them alone after that, doesn’t want to disrupt their night. They were looking forward to tonight just as much as Liam had been, although they seem to be enjoying it much more than he is.

Liam sent Theo a few texts but he hasn’t replied to them, and he hasn’t answered Liam’s calls either. His truck is still outside, so Liam assumes he’s still here somewhere. Even if he’s left by foot or gotten a lift from someone, at least he’s been sensible enough not to drink and drive.

He’s still surprised by Theo’s revelation. He hadn’t known Theo was into guys, let alone into him. It’s not as if it had ever come up, to be fair. As far as Liam was aware, the only person Theo shown interest in or had kissed was Tracy, and that’s not exactly a great example of how kissing should go. Sure, they’ve gotten quite close after everything that’s happened, and after Theo moving in with them. And yeah, Theo’s able to read him pretty easily, knows how to calm him down when he’s angry or upset. His control has improved a lot since Theo moved in; he grounds Liam, anchors him-

Liam almost chokes as it hits him, can’t believe he hadn’t realised it before. _Theo is his anchor _.__

__

Liam leaves the main hall and goes through the back. It’s a lot quieter there, so Liam gets his phone out and tries calling Theo again. He hears a phone start ringing, and although he’s only picking it up because of his enhanced hearing, it’s definitely nearby. He opens a few doors with no luck. The ringing is getting louder though, knows he must be close.

He finally finds Theo in the storage room where the crowns are being kept. There are two king crowns and two queen crowns; with the mixed prom, there are couples nominated all over the spectrum. So this guarantees whoever wins will be happy.

Theo’s sitting on one of the chairs in the room, twirling one of the king crowns in his hands and staring at it intently.

“Theo, you okay? You didn’t answer your phone.”

He looks up, but it’s almost as if he’s looking through Liam instead of at him. “Can I get my flask back?”

“What? No, you’ve had enough.” Liam sits down next to Theo, bumping their shoulders together. “Seriously, are you okay?”

Theo just hums, something that could be either an affirmation or a denial and therefore is entirely unhelpful. Then he does the last thing Liam would have ever expected him to do. He takes the king crown, sticks it on Liam’s head and just smiles. An actual, genuine smile without any of his usual façade. “Looks good on you,” he murmurs.

Liam’s heartbeat spikes again and his stomach starts doing somersalts. He can’t deal with the way Theo’s looking at him, so he gets up and goes over to the rest of the crowns. He takes a few seconds to calm down, then picks up the other king crown and sticks it on Theo’s head.

“Here, smile,” Liam says, taking a selfie of them. He sends it to Mason with the caption, ‘Kings of Beacon Hills.’

Theo scoffs when he sees the caption. “We’re not kings of anything, Liam. We’re just stupid kids.” Then a playful smirk comes over his face. “Let’s steal the crowns.”

“What? Theo, it’s prom! You can’t just steal the crowns!” Liam hisses.

“Says who?” Theo smirks, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What if we get caught?! You’re literally going to get us kicked out of prom, I can’t believe you.”

“Oh, come on! It would be totally hilarious.”

Liam thinks it would be too, but that’s not the point. “No, we’re putting them back. With all the shit that happens in this town, I didn’t think I was even going to __live__  until prom. I refuse to get kicked out because of you.”

Liam returns the crowns to their holding place, ignoring Theo’s pout. He’s just put them down when the door bursts open, startling Liam. 

“What are you guys doing?” Brett asks.

Liam’s like a deer caught in the headlights. “We, um. We were just-”

“We wanted to go somewhere a little more… _private_ ,” Theo breathes, heartbeat steady and voice full of innuendo. Liam’s pulse spikes again, and it’s clear Brett noticed it from the way he scowls at them both.

“Is he drunk?” Brett asks Liam, eyebrow raised.

“ _He_  is right here, and he is only slightly tipsy. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” Theo takes Liam’s hand and brushes out of the room, leaving Brett staring dumbly after them.

 

They head back through to the main hall, and Liam forces Theo to drink some water and sober up.

“Right, enough fucking around. It’s prom; dance with me,” Liam says.

“You sure?” Theo asks.

“I’m positive, Theo. I don’t know what I was thinking with Brett. I think I just… wanted him because he didn’t want me.”

He takes Theo’s hand, an action which has quickly become a source of comfort, and leads him onto the dance floor. They’re both a bit awkward and self-conscious at first, but they quickly cast that aside and just enjoy themselves.

They’re smiling and laughing, having a good time, when the song slows down and fades out. A slower, more romantic one takes its place and Liam gulps as the couples around them all get into hold.

“Should we skip this one?” Liam asks.

Theo just holds him in place and says, “Not a fucking chance.”

They place their hands on each others hips, gently swaying along to the music.

“Thank you, Theo. For today, for everything,” Liam says.

“No problem, Li.” Theo gives Liam’s hips a brief squeeze, laughing as Liam squirms. “Told you I’d be here to push you.”

Theo glances at Liam’s lips and Liam senses a brief flare of arousal from him, suppressed as quickly as it appeared. It’s still enough to garner a reaction from Liam though, and he’s never been very good at hiding his emotions.

“Yeah?” Theo asks.

“Yeah.”

They close their eyes and lean in, meeting each other halfway. Their kiss starts off slow and timid, both of them still slightly unsure. However, once it becomes clear that they both want this, Liam can’t get enough. Nothing up until now has felt the way this does; Theo’s hold, Theo’s lips feel like home, and Liam never wants to leave. Liam brings a hand up to the back of Theo’s head, deepening the kiss and Theo eagerly reciprocates.

They break apart for breath, panting slightly. Theo’s face lights up into that blinding grin again, and Liam revels in the fact that he’s the one who caused it. He wants Theo to smile like that all the time.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Theo says, voice full of wonder.

Liam bites his bottom lip and blushes, suddenly bashful, and Theo’s eyes darken. He surges back in to capture Liam’s lips, pushing him backwards until they break through the crowd of students and are near the wall. Liam turns them around and shoves Theo against the wall. He brings Theo’s arms up, pinning them there and, in a surprising turn of events, Theo allows himself to be pinned.

“You look so fucking hot in that tux,” Liam groans, eagerly kissing into Theo’s mouth.

Theo keens at the compliment, kissing Liam back with more force. He raises his knee and brings it between Liam’s thighs, causing Liam to outright moan.

Before anything else can happen, a hand comes down on both of their shoulders.

“Whoa, there,” Coach Finstock says as he pulls them apart. “Dunbar, other conventionally attractive boy, let’s keep it PG-13 in here.”

“Sorry Coach,” Liam says, a bashful grin on his face. Theo doesn’t need supernatural abilities to know Liam’s lying about being sorry. Neither does Coach Finstock, apparently.

"I've got my eyes on you two," Coach says, backing up and making 'I'm watching you' gestures at them. He backs into some girl who teeters dangerously in her heels, but he steadies her before she can fall. Theo snorts and Liam has to cover his mouth to hide his laugh. "Watching you!" Coach calls again, then disappears back into the crowd.

“Well that wasn’t embarrassing at all,” Liam whisper-laughs, grinning at Theo who grins back just as widely. They’re both slightly flushed, panting as they get their breaths back.

Theo stops grinning first, not used to such open displays of emotion, but he rubs a thumb along Liam’s knuckles. “Did you mean any of it?”

The smile fades from Liam’s own face as he looks into Theo’s eyes. There’s so much vulnerability, so much __hope__  in them that it catches Liam off guard.

Liam brings their hands up to his chest and presses Theo’s against it. “All of it. You feel my heartbeat? I’m telling the truth. It’s only really just hit me tonight but I care about you so, so much, Theo.”

Theo brings their lips together for another kiss and Liam gladly reciprocates. “Wanna get out of here?”

“Let’s go,” Liam grins. They nearly trip over themselves to get to the door, smiling and laughing as they leave prom behind. Even over all the noise, Liam could swear he hears Mason and Corey cheering them on. Neither of them notice Brett glaring at them enviously.


End file.
